


Robbed

by lyrium addict (quirky_turtle)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, F/M, Guilt, Hawke has lost her will to live, Hurt/Comfort, Post All That Remains, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:13:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirky_turtle/pseuds/lyrium%20addict
Summary: She lost her sister. Bethany was too young and too filled with hope to die in the deep roads. She had succumbed to the taint, never to see the sunshine again. Maybe if she had kept working for Athenril. Maybe if she had worked harder to protect Bethany. Maybe her sister would still be alive and smiling.She lost her mother. She was too busy to notice the warning signs. The white lilies her mother had been receiving. Her sudden disappearance. By the time she discovered that something was wrong, her mother was dead. The only thing left was the sewn together monster with her head.She even lost her lover. Fenris...whatever it was that soured their new relationship, she was sure she was to blame.She was so stupid.
Relationships: Fenris/Female Hawke
Kudos: 21





	Robbed

Aaliyah Hawke sat alone in her Hightown mansion. She sat in the house that was supposed to be her birthright, but had caused so much death to get back. It wasn’t worth it. She sat in a chair in the study, with a chest filled with gold. She finished off a vintage, one far older than her grandfather supposedly was.

She lost her sister. Bethany was too young and too filled with hope to die in the deep roads. She had succumbed to the taint, never to see the sunshine again. Maybe if she had kept working for Athenril. Maybe if she had worked harder to protect Bethany. Maybe her sister would still be alive and smiling. 

She lost her mother. She was too busy to notice the warning signs. The white lilies her mother had been receiving. Her sudden disappearance. By the time she discovered that something was wrong, her mother was dead. The only thing left was the sewn together monster with her head.

She even lost her lover. Fenris...whatever it was that soured their new relationship, she was sure she was to blame. 

She was so stupid.

She heard the front door slowly creak open. Good. She had left it unlocked for a reason. She opened another bottle and took a large swig of it. She stumbled out to the main foyer, where the would-be thieves stood. 

“Gentlemen...I have a proposal.”

~*~*~*~*~ 

Fenris sighed as he stalked back to his mansion. It wasn’t a home, but it was the place he felt safe enough to sleep in. He doubted safe was the right word. He never really felt safe...not before, nor since his night with Hawke. The night he spent in her arms had been the sweetest of torture.

He stopped walking, a growl in his throat. His treacherous feet led him right to her door. It would be so easy. To walk in and take her in his arms again. He could apologize and promise to never leave her again…

Except he couldn’t keep that promise, could he? 

He would end up leaving her again. Next time he might end up hurting her worse than he did before. It was better for all parties involved that he stay away until he figured out what he wanted. But for now, right this minute he can dream of that day. 

Fenris gently laid a hand on the door...but it pushed open. Hawke never left her doors open like this.  
Icy fear gripped his heart as he reached for his weapon. He pushed through the door into the foyer. The door to the main hall was cracked open. He peeked through to see if he could get a better count of how many he was up against. 

Only an idiot would attack Hawke in her own home. Didn’t they know who she was? If she had her daggers on her person, she could obliterate an army in minutes. Most burglars pass her home, considering her too much of a hazard. Surely these were amateurs. 

He looked through the crack in the doors to see Hawke standing in the middle of the room, unarmed and only in that ridiculous robe. She had her arms raised and a smile on her lips. 

“Kill me. Do it. Kill the Champion, and everyone will know your name.” 

A low growl started in Fenris’ chest. What was she playing at? Surely this was a trick. 

He saw her pull back part of her robe, revealing the skin above her heart. Her eyes went blank and her voice lost all of its theatrics. 

“Do it, and the chest of gold in the study is yours. Consider it pay for a job well done.”

The group seemed to look at eachother, curious looks on their faces. One nodded and lifted his sword. Before Fenris could think through a strategy, he was already in the room. His sword cutting through anyone that was in his path. 

How could she? Doesn’t she know what that would do to Varric? To Aveline? ...To him? He let out a cry of rage as he tore through the lowly criminals. He left the one that dared to lift his sword against Hawke for last. His heart would be torn out, and then- only then would he be allowed to die. 

Fenris stood in the middle of the room, panting. The bodies surrounded him. He looked up at Hawke. She didn’t flinch away from him. She just stared, disappointment clouding her features. 

“What game were you playing at, Hawke?” he spoke behind gritted teeth.

“No games, Fenris.” she pulled her robe tighter to herself, “But you still spoiled my fun.” 

The smile on her face was dead, no light behind it. No life.

“Aaliyah-” Fenris was pleading, but he wasn’t sure what for.

“I’m tired, Fenris. See yourself out.” she turned and climbed the stairs into her bedroom. Maybe she trusted that he would close the door behind himself? Maybe she didn’t care?

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, he waited for Hawke to come to his door and knock. Ready to drag him on another insane adventure. Maybe last night was a fluke. A night of drunken desperation. Even he could admit to having low points in his life where another’s blade seemed a good end. Surely she would come and drag in to the Wounded Coast to hunt some slavers as she did before. 

She never came. 

He walked to The Hanged Man, sure to see Hawke there. She would be regaling their friends of her conquests of the day. The spiders she vanquished. Varric would write it all down and they would drink and pass the night content. 

She wasn’t there. 

The table had a rather large hole in it. Such a small space created a lot of silence.

~*~*~*~*~

He couldn’t help it. He sat in his mansion and attempted to read, however his novice skill was not what stopped him. He was distracted. He tried to quell the worry that squeezed his heart. He tried not to think about the look Hawke had when a sword was raised against her. The look of utter acceptance. 

He got back up and put his armour back on. Before he could rationalize his thoughts, he stalked back to Hawke’s mansion.He looked at the door, once again left open. He sighed and took his watch outside her door. If Hawke had a deathwish, it was his job to ensure she never got it. 

After about an hour, he figured his watch was in vain. Surely no one would try to attack her again. Not after the bloodbath he had left behind last night. Just as he pushed himself away from the wall, he heard the voices. A chattering group approaching her home. He sighed and adjusted his weapon. 

They deserved what they had coming to them. 

~*~*~*~*~

The sun began to rise, and Fenris could feel exhaustion seeping into his bones. He heard the door open behind him. 

“Go home, Fenris.” her voice was filled with pain. Pain he wished he could heal. However, he knew any attempts would just make matters worse. 

He only grunted in response.

She sighed and closed the door. When he heard the lock click, he allowed himself to stand and stretch. He walked along the path to his own dwelling, ready to get a few hours of sleep in. 

~*~*~*~*~

This continued for the next week or so. One night it was some cartel. Then it was drunken Templars. Once they were slavers, seeking revenge for their fallen brothers. It was as if all of Hawkes enemies knew that she was offering up her life. THey just had to be strong enough to take it. 

Every night he would stop the threat outside her door. He would kill, he would break, he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. To keep her breathing. Sometimes she would come out before the attack, sometimes after.

“Go to bed, Fenris.” she tried another evening, “I couldn’t live with myself if this is what killed you.” 

He looked up at her from his seat on the ground. How did she not get it? How was he supposed to keep living if she died and he wasn’t there to protect her? How could she not see? 

He shook his head and remained sitting.She sighed and closed the door. But the look did not click, so he remained. The threat was sure to come.

~*~*~*~*~

“You’re making me waste my money.” She sat beside him one night. The bottle of wine clutched in her hand. 

“Instead of hiring your own assassins, you could pay Isabella back for all those lost games of Wicked Grace.” he retorted. He expected her to make a joke, smile and keep the conversation light. However, Hawke never did what he expected.

Hawke sighed, “I’m not hiring them..I’m just getting the word out…” she tried to offer him a sip from her bottle, but he shook his head.

“Of course. That makes all the difference.” he replied dryly as he adjusted his grip on his sword. 

Hawke stood up and turned to go back inside. She paused and begged him, “Please Fenris. Go home.”

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, unmoving. He would be staying here. 

~*~*~*~*~

A month of this passed. Varric had come to his mansion a few times during the day. He was concerned about Hawke. She hadn’t dragged them off on an adventure in weeks. She hasn’t been the same since the funeral. Fenris never knew how to respond. Did he tell their friend the truth? How would Varric react? Would he confront Hawke or would he silently discourage the nightly bands? He did not know, so he kept silent. 

~*~*~*~*~

This time, when he walked to Hawke’s mansion, she was there waiting for him. She looked up at him and a sad smile danced across her lips. 

“No one’s scheduled to come tonight.” she started. 

Fenris only rolled his eyes, she could be lying to get him to leave early. 

“Would you come inside?” she asked nervously. She fiddled with the hem of her robe, looking at the ground instead of him. 

Fenris nodded before he could think it through. Surely he would be just as able to protect Hawke inside than he was outside. 

He followed her into the house, straight into her study. The house seemed colder, emptier than the last time he was there. It lacked the light and warmth that it held before. 

Hawke sat on her chair and gestured for Fenris to sit across from her. He did so, only if because he was curious. 

“I’ve updated my will. Seeing as I have no more next of kin.” she shrugs. 

“Why would I care-” he tries to ask, but Hawke does not allow him to finish. 

“Varric is well off, so I don’t need to worry about him. Aveline would never touch my ill-gotten fortune. Merrill, I’ve set some aside for her. The rest all get their fair share. But you...I’ve named you my primary beneficiary. At least that’s what Bodahn called it.” 

“Get to the point, Hawke.” Fenris ground out, even though he was pretty sure he knew where this was going. 

“If anything happens to me, you get most everything. The mansion, the money, the wine cellar.” she smiles tightly at him, “So if that was your concern, rest assured you will be taken care of.” 

Fenris could feel the rage boiling inside him, it overflowed into his veins. He blood burned. Surely she couldn’t think that was what concerned him. He could feel the growl building in his chest long before it became loud enough to hear. 

“Have I fallen so far in your eyes? You really can’t see why I would want to prevent your suicide attempts?” he bared his teeth, “You think I only care about the coin we make?” 

Hawke looked shocked, as if she didn’t understand. How that expression pained Fenris. How could she not see?

“What else would you care about?” her voice was small, unsure. The tone did not suit her.

Fenris stood up so fast his chair fell backwards. He gripped the arms of her chair, forcing her to look at him. 

“I care about you!” he shouted, “Whatever may have happened between us, know that I will always care for you!” 

Hawke tried to look down, away from him. He gripped her chin. When he spoke again, his voice was softer.

“Not just me. Your friends would care if you died.” he inhaled shakily, “This pain you are feeling now, it would not go away. It would be passed along to us. Do you understand that?” 

Her eyes watered and she bit her lip. She turned her head away, freeing herself from his grasp. 

“Go home, Fenris.” Hawke answered wetly, a tear falling down her cheek. 

“No.” his voice was firm, “You wanted to talk, so we are going to talk.” 

“I can’t…” she broke off into a sob, unable to finish her sentence. But she didn’t have to. 

“You can and you will.” he assured her, “You have us.” 

You have me. He wants to say it, but he knows he lost the right. 

Hawke nods, wiping away her tears, “It hurts so much.” 

“I know, but in time it will heal.” 

Hawke wraps her arms around Fenris, pulling him into a hug. He tenses for a moment before allowing himself to relax into the hug. He tried not to breathe in her scent. He tried not to focus on the way the tension leaves his shoulders. He tries not to let himself enjoy being in her arms again. 

He may not deserve her affection, but she deserves his comfort.


End file.
